The Apple smart battery case - should i get it?

All you want to know about Apple smart battery case

Are you a happy iPhone 6 or 6s owner? And most likely you’re experiencing low battery life when using your gadget very actively? Then you will just love the news that Apple has announced the release of its Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6 and 6s.

Highly practical but not too elegant

The smart case is designed to give a consistent level of protection against falls and scratches alongside with 25 hours of extra usage. Going in line with previous cases from Apple the designers used silicone as the main material being reinforced with microfiber. Also a special elastomer provides for easy case detachment from the smartphone. Two colors the case is available in are white and charcoal grey.

One thing you might find not too elegant is a small hump on the back of the case, where the extra battery is packed. There are cutouts along the edges of the case, so you are free to use iPhone's iSight camera, mute switch and headphone jack. The cover goes over only the volume control knob and the sleep/wake button.

How does it work?

Lightning male port situated at the bottom of the case helps you to plug your iPhone in. Unlike many third-party cases that use a microUSB cable to charge their battery, this one uses the handset's default Lightning cable. Being placed at the bottom of the case, Lightning port provides for smartphones and battery recharging from the case, simultaneously. Users can use the official Lightning dock to hook up the iPhone, while in the protective battery case.

It’s pretty handy to see the power status of the native and incased battery displayed on a special lock screen when the iPhone is charging and has its case on. The manufacturer claims the smartphone’s capacity to be increased by 25 hours of talking, 20 hours of media entertainment and 18 hours of searching over the Internet.

Can the charging case shorten a battery’s lifespan?

Once it comes to experts’ opinion, having your phone charging all day long won’t lead to overcharging. A certain circuit mechanism cuts off the main power once the battery is 100% charged.

On the other hand, Cadex Electronics (a battery testing firm) has conducted a research that shows that “a lithium-ion battery that is 40-percent charged and is running at 104 degrees Fahrenheit will lose 15 percent of its battery life capacity over the span of a year. The phone's battery will lose 35 percent of battery life if it remains at full charge all day”.

This gives us an idea of how overheating is killing the battery in a long run. Keeping in mind, the non-stop charging is one factor leading to that, the users might want to give their devices time to cool down. Experts advise to start charging at 40% left.